Apparatus and Method for Accessing a Coin Image Compilation

1. A method performed by a marketplace computer for electronically trading graded objects over a network between a plurality of interconnected remote computers including seller computers, buyer computers and at least one trusted image hosting computer, the method comprising the steps of: a) receiving a first transmission of data over the network from a first seller computer, the received data relating to a first graded object offered for sale, the first graded object having a tamperproof uniquely assigned identifying indicia for effectuating the retrieval of at least one trusted image associated with the first graded object, the first transmission of data including a description of the first graded object and information related to the seller of the first graded object; b) responding to the first transmission of data received from the first seller computer the marketplace computer generates a unique graphical and textual presentation format relating to said first graded object offered for sale, stores the data in a predetermined manner on a data storage means operatively connected to the marketplace computer and provides the plurality of buyer computers access across the network to the first graded object presentation format; and c) responding to a first request from a first buyer computer the marketplace computer transmits a predetermined presentation format across the network to the requesting first buyer computer and in response to said first request from said first buyer computer the marketplace computer effectuates the transmission of at least one trusted image associated with the graded object, the trusted one image being served by a trusted third party image-hosting computer.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the graded objects offered for sale are encapsulated graded objects each having a tamperproof uniquely assigned identifying indicia for effectuating the retrieval of at least one trusted image associated with the encapsulated graded object.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein step a) is performed by including with the first data transmission information specifying a first uniquely assigned identifying indicia for effectuating the retrieval of at least one trusted image of the first graded object.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the unique identifying indicia assigned to each graded object is an assigned unique UTRL.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein step a) is performed by including with the first data transmission a first Universal Resource Locator (URL) referencing a trusted third party image hosting computer for serving at least one trusted image uniquely assigned to the first graded object.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the marketplace computer is an auction house marketplace computer and the presentation format is am auction lot presentation format.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the graded objects are one or more of coins, stamps, trading cards and documents.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the one trusted image hosting computer is operated by a trusted third party grading firm.

9. A method for electronically trading an encapsulated graded object comprising the steps of: a storing at least one image of an encapsulated graded object in a database, the one image having characteristics permitting details of the object upon which the graded object was graded to be viewed on a video display means, the encapsulated graded object having a tamperproof assigned associated unique identifying indicia; b) connecting the database with a first computer, the first computer being responsive to the identifying indicia for retrieving the one image; c) providing to a second computer a description of the object and information related to an owner of the object and the description to the one image in the database; d) connecting the first computer with the second computer, the second computer being accessible by at least one potential buyer from a remote terminal connected to the second computer; and e) providing to the one potential buyer at the remote terminal the description of the object and, in response to a request by the one potential buyer, sending a selected one image in the database from the first computer through the second computer to the remote terminal for viewing by the one potential buyer.

10. The method according to claim 9 including a step of storing a bid on the object by the one potential buyer and providing the bid to the owner at another remote terminal connected to a third computer.

11. The method according to claim 9 wherein the assigned associated unique identifying indicia is an assigned associated unique URL and step a is performed by connecting the database with a first computer, the first computer being responsive to the assigned associated unique URL for retrieving the said one image.

12. The method according to claim 9 wherein said step a) is performed by storing the said one image as a hierarchical, tiled, multi-resolution digital image.

13. The method according to claim 9 wherein the encapsulated graded objects are one or more of coins, stamps, trading cards and documents.

14. A Certified Image Compilation System for selectively displaying a plurality of trusted images uniquely assigned to graded objects, the graded objects being visually examined utilizing at least one of the trusted images by a plurality of potential buyers having access to an electronic marketplace trading in said graded objects, the system comprising: a host computer; a data storage device operatively connected to said host computer and storing data as a Certified Image Compilation representing a plurality of images related to a an encapsulated graded object to be visually examined, the images having characteristics permitting details of the object upon which the object was graded to be viewed, said images including a gross image of the graded object and at least one magnified image associated with the gross image said encapsulated graded object being assigned a unique identifying indicia in a tamperproof manner; a remote computer having network access to the host computer; and a display means connected to said remote computer for accessing visual data whereby when a potential buyer inputs requests, said host computer responds to said requests by sending image data from said data storage device to said display means to display said gross image of said graded object in response to a first one of said requests and by sending image data from said data storage device to said display means to display one of said magnified images in response to a second one of said requests.

15. The system according to claim 14 wherein the graded objects are encapsulated graded coins and said plurality of images associated with each encapsulated graded coin includes an obverse gross view and a reverse gross view of said encapsulated graded coin and in response to a first one of said requests said display means displays the obverse and reverse gross view side-by-side forming a combined gross view display.

16. The system according to claim 15 wherein said combined gross view display includes a plurality of views having various degrees of magnification and said display means displays selected ones of said magnified views in response to a second one of said requests.

17. The system according to claim 14 wherein the graded objects are encapsulated graded coins and said plurality of images includes an obverse view gross image and a reverse view gross image of said encapsulated graded coins and said display means has a plurality of side-by-side viewports and in response to a first one of said requests said display means displays said obverse view gross image and said reverse view gross image simultaneously in separate ones of said viewports.

18. The system according to claim 17 wherein said images include a first plurality of images of various degrees of magnification of selected portions of said obverse view gross image and a second plurality of images of various degrees of magnification of selected portions of said reverse view gross image and in response to a second one of said requests said display means displays selected ones of said magnified images individually in corresponding ones of said viewports.

19. The system according to claim 14 wherein the graded objects are encapsulated graded objects and said data storage device stores a unique certification number relating to the encapsulated object and whereby when the certification number is transmitted to said host computer as an input request from a potential buyer, said host computer sends image data from said data storage device to said display means to display at least one image of the encapsulated graded object, said one image showing the encapsulated graded object with said certification number.

20. The system according to claim 14 wherein said host computer is an HTTP host computer, said display means is in a remote terminal connected to said host computer through the Internet and including a processor in said HTTP host computer that generates successive dynamic HTML pages on-the-fly from said data stored in said data storage device and streams said dynamic HTML pages to said remote terminal as requested by said remote terminal each said dynamic HTML page representing a different one of said images.

21. The system according to claim 14 wherein said images are hyperlinked HTML pages.

22. The system according to claim 14 wherein said images are tiled multi-resolution format images.

23. An e-commerce system enabling a plurality of potential buyers to visually examine representations of a plurality of encapsulated graded objects being advertised for sale, the system comprising: a published document; a host computer; a remote computer having network access to the host computer; a display means operatively connected to the remote computer; and a data storage device operatively connected to said host computer and storing trusted graphical data representing a plurality of encapsulated graded objects to be visually examined, the trusted graphical data having characteristics permitting details of the objects upon which the objects were graded to be viewed, said data storage device storing a unique identifying indicia assigned to each encapsulated graded object in a tamperproof manner and whereby when the uniquely assigned identifying indicia is transmitted to said host computer as an input request from a potential buyer, said host computer sends trusted graphical data from said data storage device to said display means for viewing by said potential buyer.

24. The system according to claim 23 wherein the published document is a printed advertisement offering encapsulated graded objects for sale.

25. The system according to claim 24 wherein the printed advertisement carries uniquely assigned identifying indicia relating to said encapsulated graded objects for sale thereby providing potential buyers the information necessary for initiating input requests to the host computer to effectuate the retrieval of trusted graphical data from said storage device.

26. The system according to claim 25 wherein the disclosed uniquely assigned identifying indicia associated with an advertised encapsulated graded object for sate is a uniquely assigned certificate number, each certificate number having a predetermined format for effectuating the retrieval of trusted graphical data from said storage device.

27. The system according to claim 25 wherein the disclosed uniquely assigned identifying indicia associated with an advertised encapsulated graded object for sale is a uniquely assigned URN, each URL having a predetermined format for effectuating the retrieval of trusted graphical data from said storage device.

28. The system according to claim 23 wherein the system is further comprised of a bar code scanning device operatively connected to said remote computer, the bar code scanning device serving as an input means enabling a potential buyer to initiate a request and effectuate the retrieval of trusted graphical data from said storage device.

29. The system according to claim 25 wherein the disclosed uniquely assigned identifying indicia associated with an advertised encapsulated graded object for sale is an assigned unique machine-readable bar code, each assigned unique machine-readable bar code having a predetermined format for effectuating the retrieval of trusted graphical data from said storage device.

30. The system according to claim 23 wherein the encapsulated graded objects are encapsulated graded coins each having a tamperproof uniquely assigned identifying indicia and when the uniquely assigned identifying indicia is transmitted to said host computer as an input request from a potential buyer, said host computer sends trusted graphical data from said data storage device to said display means to display at least one view of the encapsulated graded coin.